Pleats (and Pastel Fur) Please

I admit, I've fallen prey to mass-fashion's predilection for culottes. Not that I consciously avoid trends, but they don't dictate my wardrobe, and this is one I never thought I'd wear. As a staunch believer in the straight/skinny variety of trousers, this is pretty much a sartorial paradigm shift. But damn they are comfy, and I'm partial to the deco/speakeasy-gangster vibe they give off. I bought this micro-pleated pair last year. not whilst shopping for culottes, but whilst fulfilling my want for an Issey Miyake Pleats Please garment. Paired with a white turtleneck, and pastel blue stole (that I like to wear as some sort of pageant sash for some reason), this is an unusually silhouette driven ensemble for me. Apologies to those that hate matchy-matchiness, but colour-coordination is in my blood, and I just had to match my nails, socks, and necklace to the pale blue fur.      

Vintage coat and bag, H&M turtleneck, vintage stole, Issey Miyake Pleats Please culottes, Chloé shoes, vintage jewellery. 

Stud

I've been neglecting the blog again. My excuse this time is a jolly jaunt up to Scotland visiting relatives. I always feel such guilt when I don't update, I suppose because when I first opened the House of Harps, I posted every single day. But then again, no-one read my blog when it first started, so I'm the only who notices my failure to continue this high standard I set myself.

Ahem, anyway...if you hate horribly coordinated outfits then I suggest you don't scroll down. You just know I couldn't resist matching my shirt with my socks! The cardigan is a recent acquisition. I love the weight of it and the way it drapes; the stud work really is rather heavy. I am actually quite anti-stud, in that all the cool young things these days tend to jump on anything studded and its so ubiquitous now (plus, I totally did the whole goth thing as a teenager, and got sick of the sight of studs). However, this is a rather restrained use of studding, so I can live with it.

Shoes (Chloe), cardigan (asos.com), trousers (American Apparel), gold vest (Warehouse), thrifted blue shirt.

My hair was some sort of saloon wench style, with my usual quiffed volume and some loose ringlets to one side.

Copper Fish

I recently found this cardigan which I remember my mum wearing a good 15+ years ago. Baggy 80's knitwear isn't really my thing, but I love the pinky coppery colours used and knew as soon as I saw it that I could make it work somehow. I paired it with a black lace skirt, a grey tank and belt, and gold accessories. I somehow managed to create the perfect copper nail colour by painting gold varnish over the top of the pewter colour shown in the previous post. It was a totally unexpected, happy accident.

Cardigan (vintage Rachel Grimmer), shoes (Chloe), skirt (vintage), vest (Topshop), belt (ebay)

Make-up: a dark red lip with 80's ish blusher to the upper cheek area. On the eyes, a tiny hint of gold glitter to the eye-lids, with liquid liner to the inner corners.

Feeling Convenient

I've not been posting as often as I used to. A case of blogger fatigue? I had felt like I was slowly losing momentum. I do worry about being boring, repetitive...showing too similar looks. But, I've had a couple of really nice comments recently, and shall do my best to keep posting regularly. This blog is as much about keeping me sane as it is a pleasure to do, so perhaps I shouldn't worry so much about things!? Anyway, this dress I bought because it was cheap and plain, and had potential.  As is often the case when you buy something because its cheap, not because you love it, I've only worn it once.  Its got quite a low cut, square neckline edged in a wide band of velvet. I tucked a silk scarf into the neckline, and it actually worked rather seamlessly, as if the scarf were part of the dress. I'll have to try it with different scarves. You can't beat the convenience of a black dress, so it'll be nice to have slight variations on the look. 

Dress (Miss Selfridge), scarf (Liberty of London), belt (Topshop), shoes (Chloé)

Feeling Lara Bohinc

No, don't worry; I haven’t been indecently assaulting the talented lady herself! Today the postman brought me a present, in the form of a beautiful Lara Bohinc handbag. Very kind of the postman you may be thinking, alas not, he was merely fulfilling his employee obligation and brought it, not bought it, you fools! So anyway, I have been stroking and admiring my new wardrobe addition all day, she sure is beautiful. In a reversal of the usual ‘get dressed, find a handbag that matches’ tradition, I built my outfit around the handbag. Shiny black texture, gold hardwear, and a gorgeous red lining? I accepted the challenge gladly! *WARNING* I got very snappy happy and took far too many pictures, but we all know my photos are far more interesting than my words.

Black wool princess coat (Mango), antique lace shawl, mustard vest (Ted Baker), vintage silk scarf, red cardigan (H&M), black cardigan (Topshop), vintage black velvet skirt, black patent leather shoes (Chloé), handbag (Lara Bohinc), my favourite pom-pom gloves and finally vintage dragon brooch, gold leaf necklace, rose bracelet and rose necklace (all from ebayzz I think).